


All Inclusive

by bleedforyou1



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-29
Updated: 2012-04-29
Packaged: 2017-11-04 13:11:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/394240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleedforyou1/pseuds/bleedforyou1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>18 days, 2 boys, 1 magical cruise-ship. All aboard!</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Inclusive

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the HD_Career_fair of 2010. Thanks so much to kayoko for the prompt, it was so great, and such a pleasure to write. I hope you like it! And thank you times a billion to the best beta in the world, thisgirl_is. She was brilliant, amazing, and every other synonym of awesome you could think of. Love you!

  
All-Inclusive  
  
  
  
~OoO~  
  
The soft London rain fell onto the windows of the Leaky Cauldron as patrons moved in and out of the small pub. The table in the very farthest corner was occupied by three former Slytherins drinking their afternoon tea. Pansy, Draco and Greg each had different tastes, but all three enjoyed their weekly meetings at the Cauldron.  
  
"Pansy, you have no  _idea_  how confined my life has become!" Draco sighed, sipping lightly at his tea.   
  
Oh, Earl Grey, his personal headache-reliever.   
  
"Draco, you're such a drama queen. You and your parents got off clean with nothing more than a slap on the wrist from the War. You should be grateful."   
  
Draco looked up from his roasted lamb Panini sandwich and glared at his best friend.  
  
"A slap on the wrist? My parents being under house arrest for three years? Me having to take N.E.W.T.S. tutorials at home because they won't allow me back at Hogwarts? Ministry officials constantly popping in and out of our house for 'routine check-ups' or as I like to call them 'glare and threat fests'? How is that just a slap on the wrist?"   
  
He was furious, but not at Pansy, who didn't fully understand. He was angry at the world, at his life, and most of all, angry at himself for everything he did to put himself in this position.   
  
His weekly lunches at The Leaky Cauldron were the only times he left the house, and only because the barman was an old friend of the family, so he kept Draco safe from the general hateful clientele. No matter where he went, he was met with sneers and spiteful words...   
  
A few months ago, when he had gone into Flourish and Blotts for textbooks, he had been dragged to a backhand alley by an anti-pureblood group and beaten to within an inch of his life. The memory of them screaming hateful words and spitting in his face was still fresh in his mind. The Aurors showed up an hour later, when Draco was already unconscious, and simply dropped him off at home, leaving his mother to heal him.   
  
The day after, an article in the Daily Prophet had come out about him, causing his fingers to tremble furiously. Those unbelievably disgusting journalists -- they had merely revised Draco's attack and called it karma, because he was an "unpunished Death Eater" as they said.   
  
No longer feeling hungry for the sandwich in front of him, Draco clenched his old hawthorn wand under the table, feeling reassured. It was better knowing he had his own wand to protect himself, unlike when he was attacked. He had been using his grandfather Abraxas' old wand, which wasn't nearly as compatible with Draco. Then, two days after the attack, his old wand had come back to him, in the hands of the Savior himself. And wasn't that the most awkward conversation to have?  
  
He knew he'd been purely obnoxious to Potter when he had come to the Manor, but truth be told -- he didn't know how else to act towards the man.   
  
 _"Whatever, Malfoy. Have a nice life."_ Potter had said as he handed him the thin white box. Deep down, Draco had felt slightly guilty for not thanking the man who had saved his life more than once, but Potter had already Apparated away before he could say anything.   
  
His musings were interrupted when he heard Pansy speaking.  
  
"...Okay, okay, sorry. But seriously, Draco, you just need to get out more. Obviously away from here... London is not such a great place for us at the moment. Oh, what about a vacation? You used to go to France all the time with your parents. Take some time off from potion-brewing and just...relax," Pansy was saying.   
  
"Oh Merlin, you've been talking to Mother again, haven't you?" Draco accused.   
  
"Draco, maybe they're right this time," Gregory said.   
  
The man rarely ever spoke, even before Vince had died, and now it was rare to get a full sentence out of him.   
  
"I have no idea what you're all talking about," Draco said stiffly. "I'm fine. I am so relaxed, it's ridiculous. Besides, now that I've received my N.E.W.T.S., life is no longer stressful."   
  
"Narcissa said you've done nothing but study, meet with us, make potions and read for the last  _year_." Pansy glared back at him. "Cut the shite, Draco. And I know you hardly ever sleep."   
  
"Pardon?" Draco looked at her sharply.   
  
"You've got circles under your eyes, and yes, I can see behind the Glamours you've put on, you ponce. And your Mother told me that you're always in the library, no matter what time of the night. What is going _on_ , Draco? If you can't tell us, who can you tell?"   
  
Draco cleared his throat, reaching into the pocket of his trousers for a few galleons. This conversation was so not on. How could he possibly describe the nightmares, the screaming and the fire...No, it was all going to stay where it belonged: in Draco's head.   
  
"I think I'm ready to go home. Shall we?" he asked brusquely.   
  
Goyle sighed and stood up, offering Pansy his arm.   
  
"Fine. Whatever. You and I both know this conversation is far from over." Pansy rolled her eyes at Draco. "Oh, Greg, when did you become such a gentleman?"   
  
"Greg's always been a gentleman, Pans." Draco smiled, glad of the change of subject.   
  
"Right." Pansy snorted. "Well it's the first time I've seen it."   
  
"Will both of you shut it?" Greg said softly, smiling as well.   
  
By the time Draco arrived home, he had worked himself up to have a serious conversation with his mother about with whom she was discussing his personal life. This was personal; she had no business simply telling the world about his issues --   
  
But how could he possibly discuss it with her when she was only caring about her son? He sighed, looking over at his mother, who was tending the rose bushes in the Malfoy gardens.   
  
"Draco, darling, you're home. How was your lunch?" It was the same question she asked every week, but this week it seemed different. More hopeful.   
  
He felt a pang of guilt for worrying her.   
  
"It was great, Mother. I finally tried the roasted lamb you're always talking about. It was delicious," he said.   
  
"Wonderful. Oh, you had an owl come in earlier, dear. It looked quite festive," she said, raising an eyebrow.   
  
Standing up gracefully, she took his arm and they went back inside.   
  
The letter in question was, indeed,  _festive_  as his mother described. It was large, and an unappealing shade of yellow. Just as Draco approached it, however, it flared bright blue and popped open.   
  
Suddenly, a thousand small pieces of confetti burst out of the envelope and a loud voice thundered from the seal, which took the shape of a smiling mouth. His mother chuckled when he took a step back to avoid being showered in the confetti.   
  
"Congratulations,  _Draco Malfoy_! You've won an all-inclusive trip aboard our new cruise ship, the "Magic of the Sea"! The opportunity of a lifetime awaits you!"   
  
And with that, the confetti stopped exploding all around him and the envelope dropped back onto the counter with a brochure folded neatly inside it.   
  
"How lovely!"   
  
His mother was smiling from ear to ear, and Draco groaned internally. He knew that despite all the arguments in the world, his mother would be sure to get him on that ship.   
  
~OoO~  
  
"Okay, so what you're saying is... wait, what  _are_  you saying?" Harry scratched his head in confusion, staring at his girlfriend. Ginny's fiery red hair was glowing from the sunlight that shone behind her.   
  
"Harry, look. You and I have both been unhappy for the past few months. This whole thing is not working out for either of us. The best we can do now is to go our separate ways and still be friends. Do you get where I'm coming from?" She asked, squeezing his hand.   
  
Harry looked around Ginny's bedroom, trying to focus on anything other than the feeling of guilt in his stomach. A ray of sunlight hit The Weird Sisters poster on her wall and he sighed.   
  
He had seen this coming -- sort of. Well, she  _was_  right. He was unhappy, and in the past few weeks that unhappiness had blossomed into sheer annoyance at himself, and at his life.   
  
"I just didn't expect you to..."   
  
"Be so upfront about it? I'm sorry, Harry, but I've been thinking about this for a while. I mean, you're always in training, and I'm always away for Quidditch. And I know I said that we would make this work, but obviously, this past year has  _not_  been working out very well."  
  
"Okay. I mean, if you want to break up, I guess that's okay." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw that she had closed her eyes in what appeared to be pain.  
  
"See? This is what I mean. You've changed so much. The Harry I used to know would never have said, 'It's okay if you want to'. Admit it, Harry. You want to break up too."   
  
"I guess you're right. I'm sorry that I've been so vacant lately. I know it hurts you."   
  
"Oh, Harry," she sighed, kissing his cheek and laying a head against his shoulder. "You know I'll always love you. No matter what. I tried to fix the vacant part, but I just don't really understand it..."   
  
"I don't know what else to do with my life, Ginny!" He suddenly felt a surge of anger at himself. "I don't want to be an Auror anymore, regardless of how good I am at it. I don't want to train or fight anymore, I don't want to be  _here_. I just... I feel so lost."   
  
They sat there in silence for a long time, Ginny stroking his back with her head on his shoulder as he tried to keep the tears back. He felt like such an idiot, crying like a baby at the age of 19. It was quite ironic really, that he loved Ginny because she wasn't the weeping type, because she was strong and fearless, while he was sitting here tearing up.   
  
"Do you think Ron will be angry if I drop out of training?" He asked quietly, his voice embarrassingly hoarse. "We were planning on being partners and everything..."   
  
"Harry... maybe you should stop worrying about everyone else. Take a break from us for a while. I know it's been really hard here for you. Mum is always smothering you, Ron and Hermione are getting ready for their wedding, and I'm always gone. You must be so overwhelmed and after all those funerals, it's not good. Take some time off. Take a... a holiday! That's it!"   
  
Ginny suddenly sat up straight, looking at him with a huge smile on her face.   
  
"The cruise! Of course!" she said, standing up and walking to the small writing desk in the corner of her bedroom.   
  
"What are you talking about, Ginny?" he asked, watching her move the papers away on her desk.   
  
"Here," she said, handing him a pamphlet. "When we were playing in Bulgaria last month, a few people from the promotion desks were handing these to us. There's a new cruise line called "The Magic of the Sea". It's an 18-day cruise that starts from Britain and goes through the Atlantic sea, hits Greenland and other islands, and then stops at New York City. How much fun does that sound?!"   
  
"Do you want me to answer that question honestly?" He grinned ruefully at her before looking down at the pamphlet.   
  
The cruise ship was extremely large, set in the middle of some ocean, and had the words "Magic of the Sea" printed with shiny gold letters on the side. He opened the tri-fold to reveal many moving portraits of the ship and of smiling people waving at him, wearing bikinis and swim shorts.   
  
"I think it looks wonderful," she said, looking at the pamphlet with him. "The promoters said it's only been on two cruises so far, and the ship is supposed to be amazing. It's the first ever completely magical cruise line. The suites are huge and the staff is really friendly... I think this is a really good idea for you, Harry."   
  
"Do I have to?" Harry asked, trying to keep the whine out of his voice and failing.   
  
"I'm not going to force you, Harry," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "However, if you want to do something nice for me, and more importantly, for  _yourself_ , then yes, you have to."   
  
A week later, Harry was in London, awaiting the opening of "The Magic of the Sea" cruise.  
  
Saying goodbye to everyone had been somewhat difficult, mostly because everyone kept asking why. As in,  _why are you leaving Auror training? Why did you and Ginny really break up? Why are you going to New York on a cruise all alone?_ And on and on it went.   
  
Once he did manage to leave, he Apparated to the London Cruise Terminal and claimed his ticket. He had owled earlier in the week, asking for a ticket and a suite, as per Ginny's instructions.   
  
Harry was sitting on a bench next to the port, where he watched as many small house-elves popped in around the luggage cart and disappeared with the luggage, taking it up to the rooms. He was told to wait until they officially opened the doors to the cruise. Because the ship was going to be full of wizards and witches, he had worn a black knit hat and sunglasses to slightly disguise himself until he got on.   
  
Suddenly, a girl in a bright blue sailor suit and matching hat came to a stand atop the boat, grinning from ear to ear at the small crowd on the dock. Harry watched as she performed a Sonorous charm on her herself and began talking.  
  
"All passengers coming aboard on 'The Magic of the Sea' cruise, please enter through the gates that will shortly open onto the dock. Please make sure you have sent your luggage to the luggage carts and have your ticket in hand. If you are a VIP guest, please stand on the far right side of the docking station, where the sign suggests. Welcome to the first step of your 18 day magical tour on our lovely cruise ship! For your safety, I'd like to remind everyone that Apparating off the ship could be highly dangerous, so please refrain from doing so. My name is Tiffany, and I will be your host for the next 18 days, and as you enter the ship, you will see your Captain waiting to greet you, Captain Henry Vanderbilt!"   
  
She finished her well-rehearsed speech and suddenly the creaking of the gates signalled the opening. Harry stood in line, and as much as he was initially wary of the situation, he now felt himself getting excited. He had never even dreamed of going on a cruise when he was younger, and he hadn't had much time to think about taking a holiday for the last few years. It was nice to be alone and away from the horrible things that had occurred in England.   
  
After filing onto the ship and shaking hands with Captain Vanderbilt, Harry leaned against the railing. He resumed looking out at the docking station and the sea in front of him. The cool ocean breeze whipped his hair around as he took off his hat and sunglasses.   
  
Harry was still very unused to the eye correction spell the healers had done for him in order to make Auror training easier. He missed his glasses sometimes -- they made him feel normal.   
  
Harry started to feel the tension in his shoulders slowly release, feeling relaxed for the first time in...too long. If the first five minutes were this relaxing, how was the rest of the trip going to be?  
  
"Oh, bloody hell, is that you, Potter?!"   
  
Harry whirled around towards the familiar voice and felt his jaw drop.   
  
"Oh, Merlin...no, please no," he said to himself, his voice hollow.   
  
And just then, the gates to the ship closed, and he was trapped. With Draco Malfoy.   
  
~OoO~  
  
As Draco was boarding the ship in the VIP line, he started to smile to himself. If he had to endure a holiday in order to get his mother and Pansy off his back, then he supposed this cruise would be a decent way to do so.   
  
When he handed his ticket to a tall man with pale skin, dark brown hair and blue eyes, he was rewarded with a cheerful grin.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy! How nice to see you! Congratulations on the winning raffle ticket!"   
  
Draco stared up and down at the man's captain uniform, approval thrumming in his veins. He always did have a thing for brunettes.   
  
Just then, the man's words sunk in. Ah, so  _that_  was how he had won the trip. Pansy, the little conniving snake must have entered him into some ridiculous raffle.   
  
"Thank you," Draco said to the man, graciously. "I'm looking forward to all the  _exciting_  opportunities your ship has to offer."   
  
"Yes," the man said, blushing slightly. "Our cruise staff is always looking to...entertain our guests."   
  
"Wonderful." After throwing a last, sultry grin at the Captain, Draco continued on to the ship, feeling alight with excitement.   
  
That was, until he saw a man standing by the railing remove his hat and Draco was presented with a head of familiar dark wild hair. He was about to turn away, thinking it was just his imagination when the man suddenly reached up and ran a hand through his hair... just as he had all the years Draco knew him.   
  
"Oh, bloody hell," he grumbled, feeling all chances of relaxation disappear. "Is that you, Potter?!"   
When the man whirled around and Draco was faced with those luminous green eyes without glasses to obstruct them, he found himself wishing the cruise did not last for an entire 18 days.  
  
~OoO~  
  
Sometimes, Harry really did feel like the unluckiest person on Earth. This was one of those times.   
  
Harry remembered, during the war, how tortured Malfoy's face had looked when being forced by Voldemort to do a number of horrible things, and Harry had felt bad for him. However, at the moment he had no sympathy for the man who was currently ranting about how  _Harry_  was ruining  _his_  holiday.   
  
His mind flashed to a few months ago, when he had seen the same incredulous expression on Malfoy's face when Harry had gone to the Manor in order to return the git's wand. Sometimes, Harry still wondered why he had done that in the first place.   
  
The morning he had read of the attack on Malfoy in the Daily Prophet, Harry kept having this gnawing feeling that because Malfoy didn't have his wand -- considering it was still at the bottom of Hermione's beaded bag -- that maybe  _that_  was why he had been beaten up so easily. He had berated himself for his guilt complex, but in the end he did go return the wand, if not for Malfoy, at least for Narcissa, who had saved his life once.   
  
But now, as he listened to Malfoy's little hissy fit, he felt annoyance beat inside him.   
  
"You're such a drama queen, Malfoy," he snapped suddenly. Auror training had defused some of his own anger issues, but the man in front of him always managed to make a rise out of him. "This ship has, like, nine decks and thousands of activities. We're not going to run into each other."   
  
Around them, other people were now leaving to go their separate rooms and suites.   
  
"Why must everyone keep calling me that! First of all, I'm a male, and second of all, I am  _not_  that dramatic," he said, resting his hands on his hips in a way that made Harry want to punch him. Or hex him. Whichever came first.   
  
"Right," Harry said, putting as much sarcasm into the word as possible. "Look, we'll just...avoid each other as much as possible. I really just want to relax for the next 18 days, okay?"   
  
"Ah yes, the life of a saviour... how overly strenuous it must be!"   
  
"Shut up! You have no bloody idea -- " Harry stopped himself, taking a deep breath. Trust stupid Malfoy to overturn all the progress he had made in the controlling-anger department of his life.   
  
"Fine, just stay the hell away from me, Potter. And keep your stupid hat on. That hair is blinding me with its ugliness," Malfoy said before sauntering off in the direction of the staircase.   
  
As Harry glared at Malfoy's back, he couldn't help but notice his muggle clothing. Not that Harry was staring at his denims or anything.  
  
Harry growled slightly before pocketing his hat and making his way up the opposite staircase to his suite.  
  
~OoO~  
  
 _Damn, but Potter looks good in that hat_ , Draco thought offhandedly as he sat in his room and admired his surroundings. He shook his head to clear it, because thinking about Potter's hat was not even remotely sane. But if he were thinking about it, which he so wasn't, the hair underneath that hat was still pretty great too. Not that he cared. At all.   
  
He washed up in the admittedly huge bathroom -- it was nearly the size of his own at the Manor -- and indulged in the firewhiskey the room-service left him. It was delightful, as were the small pieces of chocolate resting upon his pillowcase.   
  
Yes, this cruise was definitely worth the bickering match between the two most annoying women in his life. Even if it meant being on a boat with Potter.  
  
Around noon, a thoroughly refreshed Draco ventured out of his room and to the deck that held a small museum of magical sea creatures.   
  
The glass cases were actually magnifiers of the sea below the ship, and an attendee was describing the ocean life. Draco watched as two children pressed their noses against the glass and a pair of weary parents pulled them away.   
  
"Mother, can I try the mudslide? Oh please, oh please!" One of the boys asked his mother.   
  
"Yes, in a bit, Nathan. First let's get some lunch, shall we?"   
  
Draco smiled slightly as the woman carried the whining child out of the museum. It all reminded him of his own childhood, but of course, he wasn't nearly as boisterous as  _that_  boy.  
  
Now that he thought about it, a mudslide seemed like an amusing thing to watch, even if Draco had absolutely  _no_  intention of joining in.   
  
He trailed up the stairs and found himself immersed in a small crowd. There were two giant rubber slides with mud streaming down them. One was filled with laughing children screaming in delight, and the other was apparently for adults. Magic was holding up not only the slides, but also the large pits that the sliders fell into. House-elves were constantly appearing to hand them towels.  
  
The people around him were all cheering on two men at the top of the bigger slide, and Draco felt himself choking on air as he recognized one of the men.   
  
Potter, the man currently sliding and twisting down the mud, was apparently enjoying the cruise.   
  
~OoO~  
  
 _I am SO getting one of these_ , Harry thought happily as he made his way down the slide.   
  
Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he held his breath as he was thrown into a huge pit of mud at the end of the slide.   
  
"Damn that was fun!" The man next to him shouted as they both got out of the pit.   
  
"Hell yeah," Harry grinned. "Looks like you won, though."   
  
"Aha! I beat the great Harry Potter."   
  
Harry grimaced, nodding and turning away.   
  
"Woah, woah. I didn't mean it like that, mate. It was just for fun."   
  
"Yeah, thanks," Harry smiled slightly.   
  
"Let's go for another run, come on."   
  
Harry allowed himself to be pulled back onto the slide, and they both climbed up to the top again. He looked down and saw the many people standing around at the bottom, cheering and jeering.   
  
For the last few hours, Harry had been fine -- perfect, actually. People did greet him a bit overenthusiastically, but nothing he couldn't handle. After a year of crazy fans and reporters following him around, Harry had become used to the people waving autograph books at his face every five seconds.  
  
The man currently racing on the mudslide with him was none other than Tanner Wood, Oliver Wood's older brother. Harry had never met the man in person, but he knew he was a famous Quidditch player.   
  
Just as Harry was about to slide down, he caught a glimpse of blond hair in the crowd and rolled his eyes.   
  
So much for not running into each other.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Nothing in the world could have prepared Draco to see a mud-covered Potter grinning in the sunlight and wiping his face with a white towel.   
  
In fact, he was quite damn sure that the image was burned into his brain forever.   
  
"Potter, you look like a caveman," he commented as the man in question walked up to him.   
  
"Malfoy. You have no idea how much fun this thing is. If you didn't have such a stick up your arse, I'd tell you to try it."   
  
"I do not -- " Draco spluttered before stopping himself. "You think I wouldn't?"   
  
"I  _know_  you would never join in on such a frivolous activity," Potter sneered, trying to imitate Draco's own formal language.   
  
"Oh you think you have me all figured out, Potter?" Draco glared at him.   
  
"Not all the way figured out. For instance, I never quite figured out  _why_  you're such a pain in the -- "   
  
"You know what, Mr. I-know-everything-about-everyone? I'm going to prove to you that you know  _nothing_  about me!"   
  
With anger ringing in his ears, Draco made his way to the slide, toeing off his shoes and gingerly reaching up to cling to the rope. He slowly climbed behind the other men and women to the top of the slide, feeling slightly nauseous. Curse Potter for getting such a rise out of him. He was always the one who challenged and angered Draco the most -- because Potter represented everything Draco had ever wanted.   
  
"You ready?" A man already covered in mud asked Draco, thumping him on the back.   
Draco scowled, looking down at Potter, who was grinning from ear to ear and waving at him mockingly.   
  
"Stupid Potter," he grumbled.   
  
"What was that?" The man next to him asked as they continued through the line of people.   
  
"Nothing, nothing. How does this contraption work, anyhow?" Draco asked.   
  
"Well, you just kind of... slide!" The man said, losing his balance in the mud and accidentally knocking Draco down as well.   
  
And he most certainly did  _not_  just shriek like a small girl. Did he?  
  
~OoO~  
  
"You -- And the slide... oh Merlin! And that scream?! You sounded like a five year old girl!"   
  
Harry gasped out in between roars of laughter.   
  
When he looked at Malfoy again, this time covered in sopping mud and grimacing, he broke out into a fresh peal of laughter.   
  
"Yes, have your laugh, Potter. It's not my fault that oaf practically pushed me down -- "  
  
"Pushed you? He  _nudged_  you with his arm! Damn, Malfoy! If I knew that was going to be so hilarious, I would've brought a camera!"   
  
"Shut up, you insufferable prat! This is  _your_  bloody fault!"  
  
"Why? I'm not the one who told you to go up there -- "  
  
"Still!" Draco insisted. "That was insane! And now I'm all...dirty!"   
  
Harry snorted in laughter as he watched Draco's blood rush to his cheeks in a blush.   
  
"You're such an idiotic prat! I hate you."   
  
" _You_  hate  _me_?" Harry suddenly stopped laughing. "You're the one who went up there on your own, git. Still not owning up to your own choices, huh Malfoy?"   
  
"What? I -- you..." Malfoy spluttered. "You have no right to talk to me that way, Potter."   
  
"Why? Because if I remember correctly, your choices nearly got people killed on more than occasion." Harry didn't know where the anger was coming from, but somehow, Malfoy hating him made him angry beyond belief.   
  
"Really? I remember also, Potter. I remember your choice to use a dark curse on me when I was vulnerable -- "  
  
"Vulnerable? You were using an Unforgivable on me!"   
  
"You were  _stalking_  me!"   
  
Harry suddenly closed his eyes, taking a sharp breath. He willed himself to calm down rather than pulling his hair out. Or Malfoy's hair.   
  
"Screw you," Harry said finally, opening his eyes. He watched as Malfoy grit his teeth and glared at him.   
  
"You're insufferable. Just stay away from me."   
  
"Gladly."   
  
Harry turned on his heel, practically stomping away from the annoying arse in a rush of what was not entirely anger -- a bit of hurt might've been a part of it too.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Over the next four days, they ran into each other everywhere. After quite a few verbal sparring matches, Draco was forced to admit it was tiring to have to be angry all the time. Sometimes, when Draco was slightly drunk from firewhiskey at night, he wished it was different between him and Potter -- that maybe it wouldn't have to be fighting and anger all the time. And then the next day, he would see Potter and feel pissed off all over again.   
  
On the fifth day of the cruise, they ran into each other again. Literally. Draco was on his way back to the house-elf serving ice cream in the restaurant to ask him for an extra cherry when Potter crashed quite forcefully into him. He felt the hot peppermint tea that Potter was apparently drinking splash all over his body.  
  
"Oh fuck!" Draco yelped, causing many of the patrons of the restaurant to glare at him. If his mother had been there, he would've got a brutal hex.   
  
"Ahhh!" Draco cried out, feeling the still-steaming-hot tea splash onto his crotch. His eyes almost crossed in pain.   
  
"Blimey, Malfoy! I'm sorry -- "  
  
"Potter?! What the -- "  
  
"Damn, damn, damn," Potter muttered, casting several cooling spells on Draco. At last, relief flooded down Draco's skin and he released the breath he had been holding.   
  
"Wait just a minute -- is this  _peppermint_  tea, Potter? You actually drink this stuff?"   
  
"Hey, shut up about my tea choices, Malfoy."   
  
"Well, I consider it part of  _my_  tea choices as well, since they're apparently going to be dumped on  _me_."   
  
"It was an accident and you know it," Potter said, putting out his arm to help Draco up. Draco considered pushing the arm away, but a small part of him wanted to know what it would be like to touch Potter like that.   
  
The second Draco pulled on the arm, a small girl ran past much too excitedly, causing Potter to slip and let go of his arm. Draco's arse would hurt for the next two hours -- at least.   
  
"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Potter grimaced, helping him up again.   
  
"Shit, Potter. Me being around you is bad luck," Draco said crossly, as he finally stood up. Potter had pulled too hard apparently, because he found himself fully encased in Potter's arms.   
  
"Yeah, well," Potter mumbled practically  _into_  Draco's hair because of their closeness. Draco pushed back and stumbled slightly, though he'd never admit it.   
  
"Merlin, that tea smells foul. I'll be washing the scent of peppermint off my skin for days." Draco sighed. He tried to think of something disparaging to say to Potter, but he couldn't think of anything. Well, there are firsts for everything.   
  
"What do you have against peppermint, Malfoy?" Potter laughed.   
  
Draco looked up at the man, slightly put off guard by the laugh. Potter, laughing at him, never ceased to make Draco's blood boil, but somehow, it was different this time. Like he wasn't laughing  _at_  him.   
  
Before Draco could wonder about  _that_ , a house-elf appeared next to him, handing him a towel.   
  
"I have nothing against it... it's just a very strong scent."   
  
"Right," he said, walking away before Draco could respond.   
  
Draco gritted his teeth -- something he rarely ever did unless around Potter -- and tried to ignore the weird bubbling in his stomach when Potter had held him for that moment.   
  
~OoO~  
  
The next time Harry saw Malfoy was later that day, when they had reached the Faroe Islands and stopped for the day.   
  
Harry had been relishing the view of the small, greenery-covered island when he spotted Malfoy arguing with one of the vendors on the boardwalk. He smirked when he saw Malfoy putting his hands on his hips -- it was quickly becoming one of his signature poses in Harry's mind.   
  
 _Draco the Drama Queen, indeed_ , Harry thought, feeling slightly vindictive. Regardless of the not-hate he felt towards Malfoy -- it was hard for Harry to say he hated anyone nowadays -- he still loved to irk him.  
  
"There is no way I'm paying you twenty galleons for that!" Malfoy was arguing with the vendor, who was scowling at him.   
  
"The price is twenty, sire. Either pay or don't," the elderly man grumbled.   
  
"Malfoy." Harry was pleased when the man jumped slightly and turned to glare at him. "I didn't have you pegged for a bargainer."   
  
"Just another thing you don't know about me, Potter." He sneered before turning back to the vendor.   
  
"Fine, I'll give you 15, but I'm not going a knut above that!"  
  
"Fine, fine, sire. I  _live_  to help tourists such as yourselves." The man rolled his eyes slightly. Harry bit down a laugh and watched as he packed up an amazing piece of jewellery.   
  
"Oh, that's pretty, Malfoy. Is it for your boyfriend?" he teased, wanting to string him up. He felt, more than saw, Malfoy tense up next to him.   
  
"No, I'm single at the moment. Not that it's any of your business. It's for my mother, actually. But I'm glad you've refined your taste, Potter. It'll help in the long run," he said, paying the vendor and making to leave.   
  
Harry was startled at his words -- so Malfoy really  _was_  gay? He hadn't been sure, but it was just fun to rile him up.   
  
"Wait." Harry reached out to stop him. The soft feel of the pale arm made Harry backtrack slightly.   
  
"What now, oh, Savior?" Malfoy's cutting sarcasm made it all the more fun for some reason.   
  
"I was wondering..." Harry racked his brain for something to say. "Have you heard about the whales?"   
  
"The whales? What is that supposed to mean?" Malfoy looked curious so Harry cheered internally. He also wondered to himself why it mattered if he got Malfoy's attention or not.   
  
"Come on, I'll show you." Harry leaned closer to him, and pulled on his arm.   
  
"Okay, but quit with the manhandling. If you want to touch me, you have to buy me dinner first," Malfoy practically growled. Harry wondered if he was really joking or not.   
  
They walked closer to the other side of the port, where the island's own ships were. On the far side was a giant pier, and underneath it the sea was blood red.   
  
Malfoy gasped out loud and Harry turned to see him staring at the pier in horror.   
  
"What is going on over there?"   
  
"The Muggles call it 'whaling' or something like that. It happens on small islands like these. They cut down pilot whales in the water and use them for food and other stuff." Harry scowled.   
  
"They hunt the whales...and kill them like that? But...that looks painful. Look at the sea! It's covered in blood!"   
  
"Yeah...but that's a big part of their diet."  
  
"Merlin... Muggles are so stupid and cruel."   
  
Harry turned to him, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"There's no need for that, Malfoy. I mean, yes, some Muggles are bad, but you can't just generalize like that."   
  
"Are you not seeing this?" Malfoy gestured towards the ocean. "Muggles are bloodthirsty, barbaric and -- "  
  
"Enough," Harry shook his head. "It's not like that with all of them. You see what you want to see, Malfoy. Not all Muggles are like the ones you've seen. There are some who are saving lives and others who are really good people. We're all human."   
  
"Oh cut the crap, Potter. You seriously believe that they're on the same level as us?"   
  
"Yes, I really do!" Harry snapped. "You were raised in a way that makes you believe they're dumb, that they're lower than us. But in actuality, they are on the same level! They've discovered things that we've never dreamed of -- "  
  
"And yet they kill for no reason -- "  
  
"Are you telling me,  _you_  of all people, that wizards don't do the same? There are plenty of wizards who kill for less. Tell me, Malfoy. Hasn't your father killed for less?" Harry demanded, crossing his arms.   
  
"Don't you dare speak about my father, Potter! You don't understand anything about what happened to him -- "  
  
"Yeah. I really don't understand how someone can follow a lunatic like Volde -- "  
  
"You don't get it!" Malfoy practically shrieked. "My father didn't have a choice! You couldn't just  _quit_  being His follower! Once you're in, you're in for life! If he hadn't followed Him, the Dark Lord would've killed not only him, but his family, his friends... Father made the wrong choice when he was young, and he told me that! We all made mistakes, and now everything is gone! How do you think we're supposed to go on in a world that breeds pure hatred for us?!"   
  
Harry stood in shocked silence, and then cleared his throat.   
  
"Your choices make you who you are -- "  
  
"And everyone deserves a second chance," Malfoy said, his voice hoarse. He turned on his heel and left Harry standing in the middle of the beach.   
  
When Harry closed his eyes, the rush of water seemed to dissipate his anger and he sighed. In his mind, he saw Malfoy's face through blurry eyes, back at the Manor. When he had looked right at Harry and told his father that it wasn't him. It occurred to Harry then that maybe Draco was asking for a second chance.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Draco tried to remember the one time his parents had taken him to the beach, when he was seven years old, and he had built a sandcastle. Pushing his hands through the dense sand, he tried to recreate the same structure. He gave up doing it by hand and pulled out his wand, looking around to make sure no Muggles were around. He had chosen a secluded part of the beach, of course, where he sat and pulled the sand closer to him.   
  
"It's more fun if you do it without magic."   
  
The voice behind him made Draco drop his wand in the sand. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling slightly anxious in Potter's presence. He had no idea what had made him spout out all of that earlier in the day, but he just felt the need to make Potter understand somehow.   
  
"Of course you'd feel that way," Draco muttered, picking up his wand and going back to his transforming spells.   
  
As he was working, he felt more than saw Potter sit a few feet away from him, watching silently. He finished with another turn of his wand, sitting back to admire his work.   
  
"It looks like Hogwarts," Potter said.   
  
"That's because it  _is_  Hogwarts, idiot."   
  
Potter sighed and looked away, but Draco didn't feel all that guilty. Potter really was an idiot sometimes.   
  
"I thought... I don't know. I've changed since the war. I thought you wouldn't have changed at all -- but you have."   
  
Draco looked up to stare at Potter, who was still looking away.   
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"I mean...bloody hell, I'm no good at this." Potter shook his head, smiling slightly. "I just was--I mean... I was being pretty shitty earlier."   
  
Draco waited for more from the man, but he seemed to be all talked out.   
  
"I suppose... I was being rather... pig-headed as well. It's hard not to fight with you. Maybe it's in my blood."   
  
Potter looked at him suddenly, and Draco winced. "Bad choice of words?"   
  
The man laughed, shaking his head.   
  
"And you call me insufferable."   
  
"Well yes. You are."   
  
~OoO~  
  
It was beyond weird to actually have a conversation with Malfoy without insulting him. Well, maybe they insulted each other a little. In the end though, they walked back to the ship with a weird sense of understanding.   
  
The next day, it was Iceland. Seydisfjordur, Iceland, to be exact.  
  
"Try saying that five times fast," Harry said to Malfoy as the tour guide walked them around the very small town.   
  
"Shut up," Malfoy snapped. "I'm trying to listen."   
  
Harry rolled his eyes. The town was interesting, if you were a traditional type of person. Which, Harry guessed, Malfoy was.   
  
When they were walking back to the ship, Harry felt Malfoy trudge up behind him. Harry slowed down and allowed Malfoy to walk next to him. "Potter. Have you been to that...Snitch Lounge?"   
  
"Er..." Harry blinked. The Snitch Lounge was a dance club on the cruise that opened at night for the adults on the ship. "I haven't yet. You?"   
  
"No... but I was going to. Tonight."   
  
Was Harry imagining it, or was Draco Malfoy asking him out to a dance club?   
  
"Yeah?" Harry was surprised to see his voice more husky than usual. "I might join you... that is, if you're asking."  
  
"Well, if you just happened to be there around... 10:30, and I happened to be there, why would I mind?"   
  
"10:30, huh? Well, I might just be there."   
  
Malfoy suddenly smiled at him, and Harry felt his insides clench almost painfully as he smiled back.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Draco still had no idea what urged him to ask Harry Potter out on a date, but there you had it.   
  
It was already 10:00, and Draco still couldn't choose an outfit. He had two laid out on his bed, but for the life of him, he could not choose.   
  
After a small battle with himself, he finally picked out a silky silver shirt and a pair of tight-fitting black trousers.   
  
By the time Draco got to the club, the music was in full swing and the patrons were dancing enthusiastically. He peered above the many intertwined bodies, searching for a glimpse of that crazy hair.   
  
After a few moments of searching, a disappointed Draco headed over to the bar. He had somewhat hoped to arrive  _after_  Potter, in order to be fashionably late, and appear to not care about the date at all. On the inside, he was a nervous wreck.  _What will we even talk about? Will he ask me to dance? CAN he dance?_ The questions were swirling around in Draco's head until he suddenly stopped short in front of the bar.   
  
Potter was sitting on a bar stool, looking absolutely  _lethal_. Draco was slightly weirded out at the sight of Potter in dark washed skin-tight jeans and black shoes. As his gaze went up, his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he read what was written on the tight black t-shirt:  _How long will it take you to remove my shirt?_  
  
 _Merlin, tell me I am NOT attracted to Potter. Tell me I don't want to remove his shirt_. Draco thought desperately. Except he really did want to.   
  
Trying to appear cool-headed, Draco made his way to the bar and sat down next Potter. He felt a thrill when the man's eyes trailed down Draco's body just as he had moments before.   
  
"What are you drinking?" Draco asked, remembering not to add a sneer to the question. It was so difficult with Potter.   
  
The man grinned and turned fully towards Draco, holding up his glass. Draco looked down and blinked furiously. He could feel his cheeks heating up in a blush -- the jeans left no imagination towards the shape of Potter's crotch.   
  
Draco looked up and into the eyes of an entirely too cheerful Potter.   
  
"Scotch whiskey. What'll you have?"   
  
"Mai Tai," Draco recited automatically. Potter stared at him for a moment, simply smiling but before Draco could ask what he was smiling at, the man turned and asked the bartender to fetch Draco's drink.   
  
"So," Potter threw back the rest of his drink and Draco raised an eyebrow. "What brought you on the 'Magic of the Sea'?"   
  
~OoO~  
  
If someone had told Harry a few weeks ago that he would be drinking with Draco Malfoy in a dance club, he would've thought they'd gone barmy. If someone had told him that he would think Draco to be utterly sexy wearing skin-tight trousers and a silky shirt, he would've killed them.   
  
But the fact was... Draco looked delicious.   
  
Harry had known for a few months that he wasn't entirely straight, but he never really felt the need to explore it because he always had Ginny. The moment that Draco walked into the club looking like  _that_ , Harry was re-evaluating his entire sexual orientation.   
  
While Draco finished his Mai Tai -- and Harry just had to laugh at that, because it was such a poncey drink -- they tried to talk through the loud pumping music before giving up and walking over to the lounge, where they sat in a small booth.   
  
Harry was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Draco. The drinks kept coming as they sympathized with each other over the interfering women in their lives and argued about a new player on the English Quidditch team.   
  
Harry looked up when he heard a song he knew -- one of the newest wizard rock bands called Phoenix's Flame, had come out with an album and George had got him hooked -- and he stood up, bumping into his table, sloshing the drinks.  
  
"Wanna dance?" He asked Draco, who was still sitting down and staring up at him.   
  
"Sure you won't trip me?" Draco smirked.  
  
"I might." Harry laughed.  
  
Harry had never been particularly good at dancing, but this was the sort of music you could really move to. Draco looked amused, but joined in all the same. During the second song Harry stumbled and Draco caught him. For a moment neither of them moved but then they started dancing together, Draco still holding him lightly.   
  
After a few dances, they broke apart when Draco claimed he was in the mood for a snack. They walked out of the club and away from the thumping music, down to the first floor.   
  
They sat in a corner booth in the small café and ordered a bowl of chips with mayonnaise. Maybe Harry had had more to drink than he realised. He couldn't stop watching Draco eat. He would pick up a chip, dip it into the little bowl then bring the creamy end up to his mouth. Every now and then and he would stop and lick the salt from his fingers. Harry wondered whether he could die from loss of blood to the brain.  
  
"Draco," he muttered, unwilling to really stop him.  
  
"I'm done. Let's go," Draco said, standing up. Harry stood up as well and started to pull out his wallet when Draco stopped him.   
  
"You paid for the drinks, let me," he said, putting a few galleons on the table. Harry stared at him in surprise -- he never thought that the man would be remotely even-minded like that.   
  
When they walked out of the café, Draco suddenly grabbed at Harry's arm, leaning against him in a sudden embrace.   
  
"You... what?" Harry stuttered. Being this close to Draco -- just like during the dance --made Harry feel suddenly hot.   
  
"You called me Draco. That's the first time..." he said, pulling Harry even closer. He nuzzled his nose against Harry's collarbone.   
  
"You're entirely welcome to call me by my first name as well," Harry chuckled. He let out a gasp as Draco tightened his hands -- one in his hair and the other on the small of his back.   
  
"Very well,  _Harry_."   
  
It was the purring way he said his name that made Harry shiver. He attacked Draco's mouth with a vigour that was unmatched by any he had given to Ginny. And when Draco responded beneath his attack and forced his tongue into Harry's mouth, he felt he had died and gone to heaven.   
  
Harry felt all the hidden attraction from the past few days spring up inside him. And to know that Draco felt the same way, that he wanted Harry just as bad, it made Harry feel all the more urgent. Why was it that he couldn't stop running his fingers through Draco's soft hair? His mind felt fuzzy from the alcohol and an unbearable heat spread through him.   
  
Draco backed Harry against the wall, and Harry could feel himself being pulled through a small storage cupboard.   
  
"Draco..." Harry managed to say between the nips and kisses.   
  
" _Yes_ ," Draco whispered, closing the closet door behind himself. It was dark, but it didn't matter to Harry all that much.  
  
As they held each other, Draco's fingers pressed tightly against his ribs, Harry felt as if everything were almost dream-like. It felt so impossibly good to be touched and he craved the lithe body to be closer. Harry looped his arm around Draco's waist, trying to bring him against his chest. The kiss turned from hasty to something much slower and nearly painful in its intensity. Suddenly, Harry heard a thump and Draco's muffled yelp. Harry felt for his wand, using a Lumos. Draco had apparently hit his head on a towel hanger.  
  
Harry leaned in, about to kiss it all better, when Draco spoke.   
  
"Shit, wait, stop." Draco shook his head, pulling away. "I can't -- I can't do this."   
  
It took Harry a moment to register what the man said, and suddenly the air around him went stone cold.   
  
"What?" He hated the fact that he was still gasping. "You're the one who--"   
  
"I know. It's just... we've only  _just_  started getting along. And tonight was our first...date thing, if we're calling it that... and now we can't just -- it's too soon. Plus, we're pissed."   
  
"Er... right. No, you're right." Harry shook his head, trying to clear away the cloud of lust. He followed Draco out of the closet, willing his erection not to show.   
  
"I'm glad you see that," Draco said, suddenly formal. He looked so... contradictory. While his clothes were rumpled and his hair was a mess, his angled face looked composed and nearly regal.   
  
"Shall we...meet up tomorrow?" Draco was saying, looking everywhere but at Harry.   
  
"Yeah... tomorrow," Harry said, clenching his teeth to avoid saying something he would regret. He could feel Draco's warm personality slipping back into the haughty Malfoy.   
  
"Good. Tomorrow then," Draco said, leaning back against the closet door.  
  
"Goodnight, Draco," Harry said, turning away and heading towards the stairs. It was too much to see Draco like that and not  _have_  him.   
  
~OoO~  
  
"Stupid! Stupid! Bloody hell! So stupid!" Draco was currently yelling into the mirror. He stopped, stared at his flushed reflection and started pacing in the middle of his large bathroom.   
  
"What the hell is wrong with me?" He asked into the mirror. "Why would I turn down a sexy-as-hell, wonderful opportunity?! And what was that crap about  _it's too soon_? It's  _not_! I'm ready, he looked ready, what was I  _thinking_?!"   
  
"Don't even get me started, babe." The mirror chuckled. "You have no idea how many times I've heard this story."  
  
After the embarrassing debacle in the lift, Draco had fled the scene and retreated to his room, ripping off his clothes and wanking furiously in the hot shower. He could not  _believe_  he had just let the chance of a lifetime slip away. After a shout, Draco was coming to the memory of Harry's biting kisses, but it wasn't enough to ease his frustration with himself and he now stood raging at himself in the mirror.  
  
"He was so -- and I was just -- oh bloody hell," he swore, going into the bedroom and throwing himself on the bed.   
  
In fifth year, he had a dream, one night in the middle of winter. He tried to shake it off, telling himself it was simply hormones. But in his dream, he and Harry had not only been fighting in the corridor, but also making out furiously.   
  
This dream had actually caused him to break up with Pansy, and sleep with Blaise. He had cursed the dream once before, and he did again tonight as well. He didn't have a thing for brunettes, he had a thing for Potter.  
  
Draco sat up in bed and groaned...memories of that dream and his very-real make-out session with Potter coming back full-force. He had to wank again, moaning into his pillows before falling into a fitful sleep.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Harry slept like the dead that night. He would not wake up for fear of losing his place in the fabulous dreams he was having. They were dreams of lying in bed with Draco, licking peppermint tea off his pale body and doing various naughty things with him.   
  
Finally coming to consciousness late in the morning, Harry awoke with a raging hard-on and had to deal with it before he could even get out of bed. He reached to his bed-side drawers and curled his hand around the familiar bottle of lube. His mind supplied him with many images of Draco as he wanked himself.   
  
It had  _never_ been like this with anyone before. He had only had sex with Ginny twice, and both times were good, but he felt as if something were missing. Ginny had obviously felt the same, hence the break-up.   
  
As Harry rolled out of bed, feeling better now that he had cleaned the pipes, he headed into the luxurious bathroom towards the shower.  
  
The thing was that Draco was pretty attractive, but he was also surprisingly good company, Harry was thinking as he took a shower before breakfast. He actually... enjoyed spending time with him. Ron was going to kill him.  
  
Surely his friends would think he was under the Imperius curse if he told them that he was dating -- well,  _kind of_  dating -- Draco Malfoy.   
  
"Room service!" A loud knock came at the door and Harry reached over, turning the shower off and putting his robe on.   
  
"Come in," Harry replied, watching as a tall young man stepped into the room with Harry's breakfast. He had ordered room service because he knew he wouldn't be able to face going down to the dining hall. What if he saw Draco? What would he say?  _Oh, thanks for the sexiest kiss of my life, and then the blatant rejection afterwards?_ That just wasn't right.   
  
"Sir, your breakfast." The boy smiled and placed the tray over on the table.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Draco tried not to look around the dining hall, really, he did. He just couldn't help it if his glance fell towards the doors over and over again.   
  
He pushed his breakfast tray away, suddenly not hungry at all. A house-elf popped up and took the tray away, bowing at him before he left.  
  
If only Harry would come in to breakfast, and they could just talk. Or snog. Really, either one would be fine with Draco. Then he could tell Harry that he didn't mean to pull away last night -- he didn't know what had come over him.   
  
In all honesty, Draco knew that he was just scared. He had always been a complete coward -- running away from anything remotely terrifying. And sleeping with his former-enemy? That was terrifying on a whole new level.   
  
Harry would change his mind the moment he woke up -- he would realize that shagging the boy who had tormented him throughout school, was a horrible mistake. Draco had lost his chance before he had even received it.   
  
During his morbid musings, the ship had been docking into the next stop -- Reykjavik, Iceland. Draco didn't even bother leaving the ship. He had no desire to traipse through Iceland again, where the tour group was taking an eight-hour long tour. No, he had better just stay in the lobby and catch up on some letter-writing. And if someone just happened to walk in, all the better.   
  
Draco chose a spot with a clear view of the door and began writing.   
  
 _Dearest Mother_ ,  
  
 _I am having the most delightful time aboard the cruise. Really, it's just fantastic here; you should've come with me. So far we've been to Edinburgh, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland. You wouldn't believe how pretty this little Icelandic town called Seydisfjordur is! My friend and I took a long tour, and I think you'd really love the place -- it's so antique. I cannot begin to tell you about all of the strange things I've seen in Denmark -- I'll give you one word though: whaling. Mother, it was horrendous. However, back to the point, I'm sending a piece of stunning jewellery that I found at market in the port of one of the Islands. The pearls are supposed to heat up slightly when you're around danger. Beautiful and handy, yes? I'm sending one to Pansy as well. It was fun haggling with the vendor, the way you and I used to when we went shopping. My friend was making fun of me for bargaining, but I couldn't explain that it was mostly just for fun. I hope that you are well, and not too lonely. Unless Pansy and Goyle are still coming around for lunch, in which case, don't speak with them about me! You have no idea how it irks me to hear my former-girlfriend and mother chatting like schoolgirls about me. Tell father I miss him as well._  
  
 _Hope that you are well,_  
 _Draco_  
  
Draco was so intent on finishing his letter he did not see the shadow across the table from him. He rolled the parchment and sealed it, looking up and blinking in surprise.   
  
"Harry. I... er...good morning?"   
  
~OoO~  
  
It was strangely fascinating to hear Draco stutter. Harry wondered whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, in the light of last night's drunken debacle.  
  
"Um, yeah. Hi. I thought I'd go down for the tour, but it looks as if they've already left..." he said, standing next to Draco's table, hands in pockets.  
  
"Yes, they left about an hour ago." Draco nodded. He looked good this morning -- not that he didn't  _always_  look good -- in a plain white t-shirt and black trousers.  
  
"You didn't go?"  
  
"No." Draco began fiddling with his quill. "I decided not to. Although I, um, might be starting to regret it."  
  
"Oh," Harry said. Was Draco really talking about the tour? "Right."  
  
The silence around them was awkward and Harry silently wondered if he should come up with an excuse to leave.  
  
"I liked your shirt last night," Draco suddenly said.  
  
Harry looked up and saw the other man blush. Draco had obviously spoken without thinking.  
  
"Thanks." He smiled.   
  
Perhaps this wasn't a lost cause. Draco turned to look out the window at the harbour and Harry tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound completely stupid or desperate.  
  
He was relieved when Draco spoke again. "I, um, I was actually wondering whether you'd let me try answering the question again. If you haven't, you know, changed your mind."  
  
It took Harry a moment to work out what question Draco was talking about. Then he realised. The t-shirt.   
  
"What, now?" he blurted, startled.  
  
Draco looked mortified. "Well, not if you'd rather not, obviously. I just thought-"  
  
"No! I mean, yes! I mean, now is fine. Great. Now is great!" So much for not sounding desperate.  
  
Draco cleared his throat as he stood and collected his letter, still very red in the face.   
  
"Well then, I'll just get this sent and we can go." He smirked at Harry, apparently over his embarrassment. "Perhaps we'll have more success somewhere with a little more room?"  
  
~OoO~  
  
Draco's world was spinning. He couldn't believe he was actually about to sleep with none other than Harry Potter, the man he had been practically salivating over when they were at Hogwarts. He remembered how everyone was so in love with Potter, and he always scoffed at them all -- when on the inside, he was just as bad as the rest of them.   
  
The thrumming of his heart sped up even more as the lift doors swooshed open and Harry held his hand as he lead him towards room 1001.   
  
"Before we go in," Harry started, pushing Draco slightly against the door and raising his arms to trap him. "I need to tell you... I  _really_  like you. You're funny, and smart...and sexy as hell. It's hard for me to go from suspicious of you to being attracted to you. So just go easy on me, yeah?"   
  
The intensity in the green eyes sent Draco reeling with a new surge of lust and he quickly pressed himself against Harry.   
  
"You don't need me to go easy on you, Harry. You need me to show you what we could really be. And, I need something from you as well," Draco whispered.   
  
"What?"   
  
"For our first time -- " Draco paused dramatically. "I top."   
  
Harry threw his head back and laughed, and Draco leaned up to lay a kiss against his Adam's apple.   
  
"You got it," Harry agreed, pulling his key card out and swiping it. The door opened and they tumbled in.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Once they entered the room, all hell broke loose as they simultaneously began pulling off each other's clothes, paying no mind to expensive fabrics.  _Which is a testament to how intense this must be for Draco_ , Harry thought.  
  
"So," Draco growled slightly in Harry's ear. "How long did it take me?"  
  
"Wha-?" Harry asked, not quite able to understand through the hazy feeling in his brain. Why was it that when he was with Draco, he could never keep his thoughts straight?  
  
With a twist of Draco's sinful hips, they tumbled softly onto Harry's huge bed, and Harry let out a yelp.  
  
Harry looked up into Draco's eyes and gulped when he saw them darken with lust.  
  
"To remove your shirt," Draco whispered into his ear. Harry gasped as Draco's lithe body lined up perfectly with his.  
  
Draco bent his head almost as if in prayer, and his tongue led a beautiful trail down Harry's chest, making him delirious.  
  
"Too long," Harry answered, if a bit late.  
  
He laid small kisses up his shoulder and swiftly bit down on Harry's neck, hard enough to bruise. Not that Harry minded much. In fact, he whimpered his approval at the claiming bite.  
  
"Mm, you look...pretty damn fantastic under me, Potter."  
  
Draco tugged at Harry's hair, and Harry felt a shiver go down his spine. He was squirming against Draco, needing  _more_. More of that tongue those teeth, and that  _voice_. Who the hell knew Draco had such a sexy bedroom voice? All those wasted years of taunts and mocking could have been put to much better use if Harry had known about the things this voice could do to him.   
  
A finger traced along his ribcage, and Harry felt goosebumps rise at the thought of that finger doing other things. As if he could read his thoughts, Draco led his finger to Harry's hole and Harry let out an embarrassingly loud whimper, trying to get that finger inside.   
  
" _You're_  fantastic, Draco," he groaned.   
  
Suddenly, the finger was gone and Harry's eyes snapped open, and he pulled at Draco's hair.   
  
"Well Harry, we should get you prepared, then, eh?" Draco said, smirking down at him. Harry's eyes widened as he thought of it. He suddenly ached with the need to see Draco fully but the dark silk boxers were blocking his view.  
  
"Not fair," Harry managed to say. "I'm naked. You're not!"  
  
Draco looked down, as if surprised by the cloth. He chuckled slightly and Harry felt his gut clench with an emotion that was not lust.   
  
"No matter, we'll remedy that yes?" he said, smirking up at Harry.   
  
It was also unfair that Draco could speak like that, when Harry could barely think in full sentences, let alone talk. His mind was simply screaming  _off, off, now, now_  at the moment. He squirmed a bit, using his hands and toes to pull down Draco's pants, and gasped as Draco's cock swung out and hit his. Draco let out a soft sigh as he rubbed down.   
  
"Merlin," Harry moaned at the friction.   
  
"Hmm, you shouldn't be thinking about an ancient wizard, Harry. You should be busy screaming  _my_  name instead."   
  
And with that, he sat up on his haunches, and the loss of friction caused Harry to whimper again. The ache was resolved, however, when Draco licked a broad stripe up Harry's cock and made the whimper turn into a full-out groan.   
  
He had never been this vocal in bed, opting to pleasure the other before letting his own need show. Draco though, seemed to enjoy pulling out every sound possible from Harry. He began licking at Harry, delicately, like an experiment.   
  
"Draco," Harry said through clenched teeth. "It's not a lolly! Either suck it or don't."   
  
Harry instantly regretted speaking when that evil tongue was gone.   
  
"Okay, I won't," he said cheekily.   
  
"Wait, no, I was kidding!" Harry yelped. "You can lick me. It's okay; I'll be your lolly!"   
  
Before he could even process what he just said, Draco let out a soft laugh.   
  
"Mm, you deserve a reward for  _that_  statement," he murmured, kissing the inside of Harry's thigh before smacking it gently. "Now turn around before I leave this bed entirely."  
  
Even though Harry seriously doubted that threat -- Draco's cock was just as hard as his own -- he quickly scrambled to turn around and lean on all fours, raising his arse.   
  
Draco placed a soft kiss onto the small of Harry's back and slid his hands all over.   
  
"Draco." Harry sighed almost reverently.   
  
"That's more like it," Draco said. "Keep it up."   
  
Harry had barely grasped the meaning of that command before he felt his whole world fall upside down. Draco's tongue was inside him.  _Inside_  him! For his first time with a man, this was unbelievably amazing. And as if that weren't enough to tilt Harry towards orgasm, Draco had taken hold of Harry's cock as well.   
  
He gasped as he rode out the waves of his orgasm, pushing back and forth from Draco's hand and his amazing tongue.   
  
"Draco, Draco, Draco." Harry panted as he came down off his high.   
  
"Mm," Draco hummed, giving a few more licks before kneeling up.   
  
Harry let out a surprised gasp when he felt cool fingers drenched in liquid slowly breaching him.   
  
"Hm. So you like strawberry? Good to know," Draco was saying. Harry realized he was talking about the lube in Harry's drawer.   
  
"Er--" Harry managed before gasping again as he felt the tip of Draco's cock.   
  
"Harry," Draco moaned as he slowly slid in.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Harry, of course, fucked like he did everything else. With a stubborn quality of determination and bravery that could match Godric Gryffindor himself. After a few more rounds throughout the day, Draco felt his stomach growling.   
  
He lifted his head up from Harry's chest, and felt Harry's cock twitch inside him. He let out a shaky gasp and slipped away, curling into Harry's side. Their sweat-slicked bodies fit so perfectly together, it made Draco's heart ache with joy.   
  
He quickly cast away the silly Hufflepuff notion. It would do no good to allow himself to be so sickly sweet -- Harry would think he was going soft.   
  
"Potter. I'm hungry -- feed me."   
  
When Harry laughed, it was like his whole body went into the action. His body would shake, his eyes would scrunch up and his shoulders would scrunch up adorably. It was quickly becoming Draco's favorite sight in the world.   
  
"I'm not joking! I haven't had anything since breakfast, and it's..." Draco looked over at the clock and blushed slightly when he saw his shirt covering it. He removed the shirt and threw it on the ground. "Blimey! It's midnight! That means the dining hall will be closed, I'm going to starve!"   
  
"Draco! You're not going to starve!" Harry laughed again. "I'll call room service, they're 24 hours."   
  
"Oh. Right, of course."   
  
"Silly." Harry nuzzled his nose against Draco's hair it made Draco's insides clench. Who knew the Boy-Who-Lived was so affectionate?   
  
While Harry ordered in dinner -- if you could even call it dinner -- Draco used the restroom. He looked around, and peeked through Harry's medicine drawer, seeing all the basic stuff. He wasn't a slob, but he wasn't exactly as neat as Draco either. The toothpaste tube was messy and the hairbrush still had hair in it -- not that Harry seemed to use the hairbrush much -- but Draco thought he could deal with these minor occurrences.   
  
Blaise had been an utter slob. He had thrown his clothes around the Slytherin common room and used everyone's towels and was just plain disgusting. Especially to someone as orderly as Draco, who still organized his wardrobe with color-codes and all.  
  
Draco had seriously been fretting about whether he could spend time with the man next room, but he was assured now that at least said man was rather clean. That would make things much easier in the long run.   
  
 _Oh Merlin, am I already thinking about the long run?!_  Draco thought to himself before rushing out of the bathroom and back into Harry's bed.   
  
"Mmm, you took too long," Harry mumbled against Draco's shoulder as he held him amongst the whirlwind of sheets and pillows.   
  
"Well, I was inspecting your bathroom," Draco said matter-of-factly.   
  
"Right. And did I pass the Draco-Malfoy-bathroom-test?" Harry asked teasingly.   
  
"Yes. Congrats, very few people do. Where's my food?"   
  
"You are such a drama queen." Harry grinned, shaking his head. "It's on the way."   
  
"Good. You better have ordered something to my taste, Potter."   
  
A few minutes later, a loud knock interrupted their snogging and Harry had to shout to let the service in.   
  
"Your meal, sir," the house-elf said, coming in with a large tray.   
  
"Let's see here..." Draco said, pulling the silver lid off. There sat a large dish of Ravioli with Scottish lobster, salmon and crayfish with lemongrass.   
  
"Is it to your taste?" Harry asked, smirking.   
  
"Quit smirking, Potter. It's all right," Draco shrugged. Inwardly, he swore to keep Potter for the long run.  
  
~OoO~  
  
The next morning was wonderfully sunny, and the cool dusky ocean breeze was wafting into Draco's room. Tomorrow was going to be their stop to St. Johns, Newfoundland, and Harry couldn't believe that they were already heading towards Canada. Had it really been only two weeks since he first got on the ship?   
  
"Draco," Harry said, curling up next to the man.  
  
Draco put his book down and stared at Harry with a raised eyebrow. They had just finished getting amazing massages at the spa, resulting in a rather wonderful ending in Draco's bed.  
  
"Are we dating?"   
  
"Well, I bloody well hope so, after sticking my cock up your arse several times. And vice versa."   
  
"Okay. Good." He smiled at Draco, leaning up and kissing his nose. "I want to date you."   
  
"Yes, I gathered that," Draco drawled. "Now, if you'll do me a favour and let me read?"  
  
"Not a chance, drama queen."  
  
~OoO~  
  
It was the last day of the trip. They were heading to New York City and the ship would dock on the Harbour in just a few hours. Draco was originally planning on touring the City and then using an International Portkey back to the Manor, but now his plans seemed to be changing.   
  
"And we have to see a Broadway show," Harry was saying as they ate dinner in a French restaurant on the first floor of the ship.   
  
The ocean breeze whipped his wild hair around and with the candlelight, he looked positively sensual.   
  
"Oh, and I can't wait to taste a New York hot dog. They're famous, apparently. And their pizza. Oh, and their bagels!"  
  
"Okay, stop with the food, Harry," Draco laughed. "I say we're going to need a whole day just for shopping. There is no way I'm leaving New York without visiting every store on Madison Avenue."  
  
"Aw, Draco... but shopping is so boring -- "  
  
"I don't care, Potter. We're going shopping!"  
  
"Fine, but if we go shopping, we're spending a day at the hiking trail in Hudson -- "  
  
" _Hiking?!_  That's disgusting! All sweaty and gross with bugs and backpacks, yeah right!"  
  
~OoO~  
  
Harry hadn't been this happy in...well, forever, really. Being with Draco was like his first flight on the Firebolt. It was like freedom was finally his for the taking.   
  
After they got off the ship and onto the New York Harbour, Harry put both his and Draco's luggage into a taxi. They travelled to the Plaza hotel (where Draco had insisted on staying) and got a room for two nights.   
  
Draco insisted on taking a nap, and so Harry sat down at wrote a letter to Hermione.   
  
 _Hermione,_  
  
 _Just got to NY. All's good. Sorry I haven't written much in the last week, but I've been busy. You see, I've met someone. He's a great guy. Now before you freak out about the fact that he's a guy, and that I'm just rebounding off my relationship with Ginny, sit down and relax. And don't tell Ron. I think I have to tell him in person. You and Ron have always been there for me when I needed you most. Now I need you again. I need you to understand how I feel about this man. He's great -- really. He's got his imperfections, but hell, so do I. And yeah, I've been guessing at the fact that I might be bent for a few months, so it's not completely out of nowhere. I know you'll understand me -- you always were the smartest witch I've ever met. And look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I didn't know where this was going. Now, I do. I want him, Hermione. More than I've ever wanted anyone else. And if the rest of the world isn't okay with that, they can bloody well fuck off. Pardon my language. I'm happy, finally. And you might not be happy with who he is at first, but he'll grow on you. And Ron'll deal, right? I mean, we've gotten through much worse._  
  
 _See you in a few days,_  
  
 _Harry_  
  
 _P.S.: I'm sending "I Love NY" t-shirts for all of you. Make sure everyone gets the right size, yeah? Don't want Ron to end up with Ginny's. Actually, if that happens, will you take a picture?_  
  
Harry sealed the envelope and sent the letter and box of t-shirts off with one of the travel owls Draco had rented.   
  
He then crawled over to Draco's sleeping form and proceeded to wake him up so they could get on with the shopping.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Draco watched Harry fall asleep next to him on their huge and comfy hotel bed. He rested his head on Harry's shoulder and wondered how the hell any of this happened.   
  
Twenty days ago, he was pretty sure he hated Harry Potter. Or at least had an intense, nearly unhealthy, dislike for the man. And now, he was in New York City, curled up against him, feeling so happy, it was almost as if he would burst.   
  
Draco tried not to show how excited he was, but he really felt like this could work -- because of what happened that morning.   
  
They had been running around the City, trying to follow the maps and stopping at random intervals to eat, buy or watch something new and exciting. It had all been very hectic, but probably the most fun Draco had ever had in his life.   
  
And then they ran into one of their old classmates.   
  
They had been in Prada, a designer store on 57th Street, and Draco was forcing Harry to try on tuxes just for the hell of it. Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted them.   
  
"Harry? Is that you?"  
  
Draco turned around to see a sandy-haired man approaching them with a huge grin on his face. He just barely remembered him as one of Harry's fellow Gryffindors. Finnegan, that was his name.   
  
"Seamus? Mate, I haven't seen you in a while!" Harry laughed as they shook hands and embraced as old friends do.   
  
The laughter was gone from the man's eyes when he saw Draco standing next to Harry.   
  
"Bloody hell, what is he doin' here?" he said, sliding his wand out of his sleeve.   
  
"Wait, wait, Seamus, he's with me," Harry said, holding Draco's hand.   
  
Draco froze in surprise. They hadn't exactly talked about their relationship going public or anything, but Draco had just assumed that Harry would want to keep it a secret once they got back to the UK. After all, it would be horrible press if the Wizarding World found out about the Savior dating an ex-Death Eater.   
  
"With you? What are you on about, Harry?" Finnegan stepped back with a disgusted look on his face. Draco couldn't tell if it was because Harry was holding a man's hand or because he was holding Draco's hand.   
  
"We're dating, Seamus. Draco and I."   
  
"You -- you're --  _What?!_ " Seamus shook his head. "That's just insane! He's a Malfoy, Harry! He'll kill ye in your sleep!"   
  
So it was because he was holding  _Draco's_  hand.   
  
"Watch your tongue, Seamus, don't cross a line. Draco and I have reconciled our differences...and everything is good now."   
  
The smile he had given Draco at that moment made his stomach do silly little cartwheels.   
  
"Well... if you're happy, I suppose. Sounds completely barmy to me." Seamus shrugged. "You doin' all right, though?"   
  
It was completely surreal for Draco. Standing next to Harry as he talked to the another Gryffindor and then watching as they promised to write to each other before Seamus left.   
  
"That wasn't that bad, eh?" Harry turned to Draco.   
  
Draco shook his head, still speechless at Harry's defensiveness against one of his old friends just for Draco.   
  
"You didn't have to do that. He's your friend -- "  
  
"And if he had a problem with you, that means he had a problem with me. I mean it, Draco. You're never going to be treated like that around me. If I ever find out who did that to you behind Flourish and Blotts -- "  
  
"That was months ago, Harry!"   
  
"I know, but I swear...if anything like that happens again, I'll kill them," Harry said in a low voice, with fire in his eyes.   
  
And that was when Draco fell for the man all over again.   
  
~OoO~  
  
"Draco, have you seen my socks? The white ones with the snitches flying around on them?" Harry shouted to Draco, who was in the bathroom, packing up his toiletries.   
  
"You, being the ruffian you are, left them next to your sneakers yesterday. I couldn't stand them being there...I put them back in your suitcase in the right side pocket."   
  
"Oh. Thanks! Come on, Draco, we're so late already. The Portkey is supposed to leave at noon, and if we don't catch it -- "  
  
"Yes, yes, I'm coming. Did you get your socks?"   
  
"Got 'em, let's go!"   
  
After checking out of the Plaza, they Apparated to the International Portkey Center and stood in line. Harry was stuck with all of their luggage while Draco talked the hostess into letting them use the Portkey even though they were half an hour late.   
  
"Got it!" Draco cheered, putting an old teacup into Harry's hand.   
  
The sickening nausea of Portkey travel was even worse when jumping across oceans apparently. Harry shook his head to clear the sickness and felt Draco wrap his arm around his waist.   
  
"So... we haven't talked about this. Where are we going?" Draco looked worried and Harry leaned down to kiss his nose.   
  
"Well, considering that you haven't told your mother about me yet and I haven't told any of the Weasleys... we're going to have to -- "  
  
He was interrupted when a sudden whirlwind of camera flashes bombarded them.   
  
~OoO~  
  
Draco blinked repeatedly and felt his heartbeat quicken as cameras flashed into his eyes. He grimaced suddenly, realizing a bit late that they were taking pictures of him and Harry. Of course -- the Saviour was back in town with a Death Eater in his arms. The perfect story.  
  
"Draco, Draco! Can you hear me?" Harry was saying, holding onto his arm. Everything was muddling together in the bright lights and streaming shouts of questions from the reporters.  
  
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Malfoy! Are you two TOGETHER? Where were you for the last three weeks? Are you aware that Mr. Malfoy is a Death Eater and could in fact still be extremely dangerous? Is this a plot? Mr. Potter, the wizarding world is fearing for your safety!"  
  
Anger well up inside Draco, and he clenched his teeth. Damn these fucking reporters -- first the story about his attack, and now this? How could Harry deal with this every day? He wasn't quite sure he could handle it without killing someone.  
  
A camera flashed even closer to him and he snarled the general mass of cameras and people.  
  
"You had better get away from us or so help me -- " he raged before Harry suddenly grabbed around his waist and he felt a pull in the pit of his stomach.   
  
When he felt Harry Apparating them both, he didn't hesitate to hold on tightly. Opening his eyes, he felt dust settle around him and he blinked. They were both standing on an open, dusty road in the middle of what looked to be a quiet village.  
  
"Where are we?" he asked thickly, willing his fingers not to tremble in Harry's hand. If nothing else, he was sure he was safe in Harry's vicinity.  
  
"Ron and Hermione's house is right there," Harry said, pointing towards a small cottage at the end of the road. There was ivy crawling up the side of the house with small blue blossoms -- the same colour as the shutters on the window.   
  
"Oh Merlin. Harry, tell me you are joking." Draco shook his head, looking up towards the sky.  
  
"Just trust me," Harry said, pulling his arm to make him walk forward. Draco fought the urge to dig his heels in like a child.  
  
"This is a really, really bad idea," Draco muttered to himself just as the door opened and out stepped a small woman with wildly curly brown hair. He had personally hoped she'd find some serious hair-care over the year, but apparently that was not to be.  
  
"Harry, finally! Oh, we've missed you, but who -- oh," she stopped suddenly, blinking at Draco.  
  
Silence rang as Draco stood as tall as he could on the front porch and Granger stared from Harry to Draco to their intertwined hands.  
  
At last, she spoke with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.  
  
"I see you had fun on the cruise."  
  
~OoO~  
  
Harry really hoped Ron wasn't home. He knew he could probably explain everything to Hermione but Ron was a completely different story.   
  
"A lot of fun. But, er, stories later -- we should get inside before the reporters start camping outside your house too."  
  
"Reporters?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes scrutinizing the man behind Harry.  
  
Harry turned and saw Draco's almost pained expression.  
  
"Yeah, we ran into them at the Portkey Center. No big deal, but we just need to stay low for a while." Harry shrugged.  
  
He knew in a couple days -- weeks, perhaps -- the press would die down. He was, in some part, already planning a bit of a press conference to calm things down. When he looked at Draco, however, the pained expression had shifted to stricken.  
  
"No big deal?" he asked, looking at Harry unbelievably. "Were you and I in the same place? They almost chewed us up!"  
  
"Yeah, but it'll die down. In a few days, we'll be old news."  
  
"I -- Potter, I don't even know how to respond to this situation." Draco was shaking his head.  
  
Harry swallowed nervously when he felt Draco's hand loosen out of his. Pulling away from things was always Draco's style, but Harry was damned if he'd let him get away with it again.  
  
"Draco, it's not a problem. We can deal with it. You can't tell me you weren't expecting the press?" Harry asked, turning to him.  
  
"I wasn't expecting that level of insanity, no." Draco crossed his arms.  
  
"Here," Hermione suddenly interjected. They both looked towards her. "Why don't we go inside and have some tea? We can talk about this in a bit -- I'm sure you're both tired from the Portkey."  
  
"No, I'd rather not." Draco scowled.  
  
"Draco." Harry clenched his teeth in anger. He didn't know why he felt surprised -- he could still remember precisely how many times Draco had called Hermione a mud-blood. But somehow, the cruise had relaxed all the tension, and made Draco act so...different.  
  
"Look, I should go," Draco said as he stepped backwards, down the steps of the porch and Harry couldn't stop his hands from raising a bit towards him like a magnet.  
  
"Please, Draco. Don't do this," Harry said, embarrassed by the pleading in his voice.  
  
He felt, more than saw, Draco frown at him as he Apparated away.  
  
~OoO~  
  
For the next two days, Draco spent most of his time in the library. He read his potion books, calculated the ingredients he would eventually need and ate Belgian Chocolate ice cream. He wasn't happy, but he certainly would not be moping about it like some 17th century damsel.  
  
A house-elf popped in to bring him more ice cream, and Draco pounced on the ceramic bowl.  
  
"I'm fine! Can I just be left alone in peace?" Draco mumbled with a mouthful. He made quick work of the ice cream, still thinking of lacewing and its effects.  
  
"Master?" The house-elf -- Keely, he remembered -- squeaked.  
  
"What?" He snapped, pushing his hair away from his face. Merlin, he needed a trip to the hairdresser.  
  
"Master got an owl. Here's it is." She handed him a grubby scroll with a single green ribbon tying it together, and Draco clenched his teeth.  
  
The green colour of the ribbon inevitably reminded him of the green in Harry's eyes.  
  
"Fuck!" He barked, flinging the bowl on the ground.   
  
The ceramic shattered into a million tiny pieces and the spoon went skiving off in the opposite direction. The house-elf squeaked in terror, dropping the letter and vanishing.  
  
"Stupid Potter! I hate this!" He grumbled, flicking his wand towards the floor to clean up his angry mess. Why was it always Harry that made him lose control over himself?  
  
He bent down, picking up the letter and unwrapping it, taking the time to incinerate the green ribbon before he opened the letter.  
  
 _Draco,_  
  
 _I just wanted you to know that you're being absolutely ridiculous. You're not willing to work for this, and that's just so fucked up._  
  
 _Harry_  
  
 _P.S. I'm having a press conference tonight at the Leaky Cauldron, around 4. I'm telling them that I'm gay, and that I'm not scared of who I am. I wanted to tell them to leave us alone, but I guess there's no 'us' so it would be pointless. Whatever. Bye._  
  
Draco then proceeded to incinerate the letter as well.  
  
Glancing at the clock on his bedroom wall, he scowled, grabbing his cloak from the peg on the door.  
  
~OoO~  
  
Harry told himself continuously that he was going through with the whole press conference thing for himself. He was doing it for himself -- so that he could make people leave him alone.  
  
However, when Draco walked into the Leaky Cauldron, he knew it was all a lie. He was doing it for Draco -- to make him see that he didn't care what the press said about them. And even though Draco was being a total arse, Harry still wanted him more than anyone else.  
  
Even the last two days without the snarky remarks and spoiled attitude had been pretty bad for Harry. He hadn't moped -- Hermione hadn't let him -- but he had had a huge fight with Ron, and even though it was now somewhat settled, he still wasn't happy. And Ron still hated Draco.  
  
He knew a large part of the unhappiness was from Draco's indifference. He was still so pissed that Draco had just up and left.  
  
Harry was somewhat embarrassed to find his heart jumping up and down like a schoolgirl's when Draco stepped into the crowded pub. He was wearing a hat and sunglasses with a big cloak, but Harry  _knew_  it was him. Who else would have a big silver  _M_  traced on their lapel?  
  
And then he remembered why he was angry with Draco.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he whispered furiously when Draco walked up to him. The man smirked sardonically and lowered his sunglasses.  
  
"I heard someone was going to spill secrets about the Chosen One. How could I possibly miss that?"  
  
"Draco. What. Are. You. Doing. Here?!" Harry glared into his grey eyes and felt guilty when he saw sadness there.  
  
""I don't know." Draco shrugged. "I just felt like...it's the place to be tonight, you know?"  
  
"That doesn't make any sense. Why are you being so cryptic? And how did you even get in?" Harry looked up at the security guard who seemed to be blinking at the wall stupidly. "Oh Merlin, you Confundoed the security? Draco!"  
  
"What? He wouldn't listen to me." H shrugged, smirking. Harry's lips itched in a returning smile, but he couldn't bring himself to it.  
  
"I'm still angry."  
  
"I know." Draco sighed.   
  
"So now what? What am I supposed to say to them? They'll all be wondering what we were doing together, and how it happened and I still don't know if I can just -- "  
  
"Stop," Draco whispered, putting a hand on Harry's chest. Harry bit on the inside of his cheek and was only seconds away from kissing Draco, even though he was still upset. "Just say what you think is right. Your instincts saved my life, and I don't doubt them. You shouldn't either."  
  
~OoO~  
  
Draco felt a strange sense of wonder as he watched Harry speak to the reporters fielding questions at him left and right. No one else could see him -- he chose a seat far in the back of the pub -- but he loved watching the man as he systematically answered questions without revealing too many personal details.  
  
He wished he could have that same sort of practicality that Harry had. He wished he could be brave, strong and fearless -- but that just wasn't him. And Harry still liked him for it.  
  
"Yeah, I do like him. And I'm not ashamed of it."  
  
Draco looked up at Harry's words, and saw that the man was staring right at him. His throat went dry as Harry winked and dozens of reporters turned and started to snap pictures of him across the pub.  
  
"Shit," he mumbled before he stood up from the table. He decided that he had to jump in or jump out.  
  
"I'm not ashamed either, Potter," he smirked, taking the hat and sunglasses off. "Now, if you're done, shall we go?"  
  
"Let's." Harry grinned, walking over and looping his arm through Draco's.  
  
~OoO~  
  
"I am so going to kill you, Potter!" Draco screamed through the air. "You said it wasn't windy, and now my hair is a mess."  
  
"You have to catch me first!" Harry laughed, zooming off on his Firebolt.  
  
Draco followed him on his own broom, still ranting about his hair, so Harry slowed down. He was leading Draco to Grimmauld Place, where he had been staying for the last two days -- staying with the Weasleys was becoming rather awkward -- and had cleaned up a bit.  
  
"Where are we going?" Draco whinged.   
  
"You'll see, now quiet."  
  
"Don't tell me what to do."  
  
""Merlin, you are impossible! Look, we're already here. Quick fly over, that's what I said."  
  
"You also said it  _wouldn't be windy_ ," Draco grumbled as they both got off their brooms and headed down the street. "Where are we?"  
  
"Number 12, Grimmauld Place. I own it, but I never really lived here much, until now," Harry said, watching as the bricks unfolded themselves to reveal the building. He let them in and smiled at Draco.  
  
"No wonder. It looks disgusting," Draco said, looking around with a wrinkled nose.  
  
"Well, I'm still decorating." Harry laughed. "Besides, it's practically yours too."  
  
"What do you mean?" Draco asked sharply, turning to him.  
  
"It's the Black Family House, and since your mother was a Black..." Harry shrugged. "I don't know, but I guess you have more claim to it than I do."  
  
"Wait,  _this_  is Walburga Black's house? The one that the Death Eaters broke into?"  
  
"Yeah. Sirius left it to me when he died."  
  
"So you brought me here for the make-up sex?" Draco raised an eyebrow, reaching up and resting both arms on Harry's shoulders.  
  
"Make-up sex? I didn't plan for any make-up sex." Harry's eyes widened. "But that's an excellent idea."  
  
"Of course it is; it's  _my_  idea," Draco smirked and shook his head, walking them both backwards until Harry's back hit the wall.  
  
"Thank Merlin for that cruise, huh?" Harry laughed as Draco in for a kiss.  
  
 _the end_  
  
  
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 **Disclaimer:**  
All recognisable Harry Potter characters and settings in this work of fanfiction are the property of J. K. Rowling and her associates.  
No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work.


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